Every Beauty Has a Boss Who is A Beast
by Regine Manzato
Summary: Jack finds out that Connie is pregnant. Poor Cutter...
1. Chapter 1

I had this idea after reading that Alana De La Garza is pregnant! \o/ And, I dedicate this fic to The Profane Angel, because I love her very much.

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Jack heard a knock on his door and said "Come in," without bothering to look up until he heard that familiar voice.

"How's it going, Mr. New York's hottest DA?"

"Danielle! I'm fine, great." He stood and hugged his friend. "Hope this is a social visit, because if you're looking for a deal, you've wasted a trip." He smiled at the much shorter woman.

"Oh, no, it's social. I've already had a sit-down with your golden boy about my client." Her smile teased. "I just missed you. It's good to see you're being properly fed and watered." She patted his stomach. "It's been awhile since you've been this, uh, chubby." Her little teasing smile widened.

"Hey! I'm not chubby, that's manly muscle." He teased back. "You know kids. Those two next door practically force-feed me, bringing back food everytime they grab a snack."

"So, I hear you're going to have a rugrat terrorizing these corridors. Is the kid going to call you Grandpa?" Her smile was fond this time.

"What? Oh. No, Becca is in San Diego. Danny, my grandson, isn't due until May. So why are you asking about him?" He looked confused.

"Jack, are you telling me you haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what, Danielle?"

She rolled her eyes. "Jack, Connie is pregnant. Are you seriously saying you haven't noticed?"

"You must be kidding. Danny, the woman works from nine to eleven, sometimes longer. I mean, of course she can have a social live, but seriously, I haven't heard about it, that Connie has a boyfriend. Unless, of course, you're right about what you said last month. You know," he reminded her, "Mike and Connie."

"Oh, Jack... I expected more of you."She started whispering. "It's pretty obvious they're together, my friend. Anyway, I heard through the grape vine that they've been doing it since that episode involving Woll."

"Well, if it's true, then... it makes sense. She took a rain check the last time we went to the bar to celebrate, and she disappears when my clerk brings me chinese..."

"Ahá. I didn't know she was keeping this a secret ... anyway, Jack, I just wanted to mess with you." Danielle realized Jack was upset with the news, and decided it was time to leave, before he started screaming. "I have to go, my friend. Lot's of briefings to write, your wonder kids are giving me a hard time. Bye, my friend."

As she left Jack's office, Danielle saw Connie in her little cubicle, and stopped to talk. "Hey kid." She smiled, as Connie looked up from her computer and smiled at her. "Listen, I just wanted to... well, I wish you all happiness with your little.. bundle of joy." instinctively, Connie placed her hand over her stomach. Danielle noticed, but just smiled, and Connie understood. Smiling, she said "Thanks, Danielle."

A few seconds after Danielle left, every single person on the tenth floor of One Hogan Place heard the DA's voice, loud and clear. "MIIIIIIIIIIKEEEEEEEE." As one, they all silently thanked God it wasn't their names being screamed. That vocal tone was famous for certain things hitting the fan.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike was satisfied with a conviction after three long weeks of trial. Prosecuting a child killer always made him uneasy, as if he faced the ultimate in evil. And while a conviction would never bring the kid home to his parents, at least they'd have some kind of closure, some form of comfort. And that made him as happy as one could be under the circumstances. He still had a tight smile when the elevator doors opened on the tenth floor, and not even the sight of Danielle Melnick touched his good mood. She smiled at him as he held the doors for her.

He stopped at Connie's cubicle to give her news, and, when he was finally seated at his desk, in front of a ridiculous amount of paper work and armed with a steaming cup of coffee, he - and the entire floor - heard Jack screaming for him.

Groaning, he stood, feeling his good mood disappear with every step toward Jack's office. Before opening the DA's door, he took a deep breath. Jack looked like he was about to have a stroke, and Mike knew he was in deep shit.

"Close the door," Jack said, barely above a whisper, and as Mike did so, kept his voice low. "So how long were you going to wait to tell me?"

"Jack, I just got here." Mike was bewildered, what was the big deal about the verdict? "I was about to come here. It took less than an hour for the jury to find Peterson guilty. I.."

Jack interrupted him. "I'm not talking about the trial, Mike." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm talking about you and Connie. I'm going to ask, and I want a straight answer. Are you and Connie together?"

"Jack--"

"Yes or no, Mike."

"Yes. Yes, we are. I know what I said, regarding Marcus Woll, but.."

"I don't want to hear your 'but.' I just wanted to know." He sighed. "It's good to hear Peterson was convicted. Good work.'

"Uh, thank you, I suppose?" Mike was confused, but he said nothing else.

"Right. Now, get back to work."

"Was that...is that all, Jack?"

"Yes." Jack seemed contemplative, and Mike took the hint and left Jack's office.

Back at his desk, Mike grabbed the phone and buzzed Connie, asking her to step across the hall.

"What did you do now?" she asked, once she'd closed Mike's office door.

"Nothing. Jack..." he stumbled for the right words, "wanted to confirm if we were really together." He didn't realize he was whispering.

"So he knows."

"He does. The man is like Dumbledore, he knows everything that goes on around here."

"You did not just make a reference to Harry Potter." Connie smiled.

"Sorry." He blushed, and cracked a nervous smile. "I tend to make stupid comments when I get intimidated."

Connie's smile was sweet. "No worries." She turned to go back to her cubicle when Jack opened the door between his office and Mike's.

"Connie, will you come in for a minute?" He wanted to get this as clear as possible, to avoid the inevitable rumors.

Seated in front of Jack's desk, Connie said "Jack, I wanted to..."

"Don't bother." He interrupted her, but his tone wasn't rude. "I'm the last person on earth to judge. I know how these things happen. And believe me, I know that sometimes it's unavoidable. Claire would laugh, but she'd say the same thing. Anyway. This is not the time or place to talk about you and Mike. Are you busy tonight?"

Connie was surprised. She tilted her head and said "No, I'm not."

"Good, so we can have dinner and discuss this. And Connie." Jack stopped, looking her in the eyes in a way that showed he cared. "Are you pregnant?"

Swallowing, Connie said, "Yes. Did Danielle tell you?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "She did it just to mess with me, it wasn't her intention to 'blow the whistle' on you. We'll talk about it over dinner, OK?"

"Sure. And Jack? Thanks...thanks for everything." She stood and headed for her cubicle.


	3. Chapter 3

I have to thank you all for the reviews, and, most of all, I must thank The Profane Angel for her huge pacience with my stupid mistakes. Thank you so much, dear.

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Ready to leave for the day, Connie looked through Mike's office door and saw him reading. She knocked, then opened the door. "Hey," she said, getting his attention. "I'm leaving. Jack wants to meet me for...you know...talk about things." Her hand covered her abdomen.

"OK, sure. Uh, did you tell him?"

"Not exactly. I just confirmed it when he asked. We'll talk later, OK? I have to go." She smiled and waved.

"OK, see you later." Mike smiled at her little gesture. They'd agreed not to mention her pregnancy until it was unavoidable, but if Jack didn't mention it in their earlier little chat, then he wasn't too worried about this dinner with Connie. He knew Jack would support them.

With Jack and Connie gone for the day, and that ridiculous amount of paper somehow subdued, Mike thought it was better if he went home and waited for Connie.

Jack and Connie arrived at a cozy Italian restaurant. Once seated at a table, Jack said "So. When did you find out you're pregnant?" He looked out the window by their table before focusing on Connie again.

"Six weeks ago." She felt a pang of guilt at not sharing the news with Jack before. "We were...kind of scared." She shrugged. There, it was out, the reason for her reticence.

"Scared? Why?" Jack's tone was puzzled.

"We didn't know how you'd react, so we agreed to keep it a secret as long as we could." Connie had no intention of lying to Jack - he was her boss, but he was also her friend.

"You don't need to feel guilty, my dear." A faint, sad smile crossed his lips. "Let me share a secret with you." Jack took a deep breath, knowing he was about to open a wound that should have healed a long time ago. "Claire was pregnant."

Connie knew Claire was a very painful subject for Jack. She knew their story, but this was a piece of information that apparently no one knew. She waited for Jack to pick up the story.

"We found out about a week before Mickey Scott's execution. She was amazed, and I was...I can't really say how I felt about the news. We never had a chance to tell Adam - the accident." Jack sighed, looking through the window.

Connie reached for his hand across the table. "Jack." Her smile was sympathetic.

"Don't worry, I'm good." He smiled back at her. "Besides, we're here to talk about you. Mike and this "

"So, what are you and Mike going to do when the baby's born?"

Connie misunderstood his question. "We're keeping the baby, Jack. Mike and I, we, uh, we already talked this over."

"You misunderstand," Jack interrupted, but with a sweet smile. "I've known you for what, almost five years now? I know you want to have kids."

"I do. And although this baby is unplanned, it sure isn't unwanted."

"I know, Connie, I know. I meant are you and Mike going to move in together, because you can't have this baby alone, can you?"

"No, I can't. Mike's moving in with me, my apartment is bigger than his. Besides, my family would kill him if he didn't. That's why I still have to tell my mother."

Jack grinned. "Come on, now, I'm sure she'll be thrilled. A child is always a blessing."

"I'm sure she will, Jack, but my father...he'll want Mike to marry me before the baby's born." Connie sighed.

"Is this the real thing? You and Mike?" His voice was low and soft, discreet.

"I...I don't know. I really love him, and I believe he loves me, too, but things moved so fast. I'm not sure of anything right now."

"The only certainty in life is death, Connie. Everything else is unknown, open to possibility. If we don't take chances, we don't live as fully as we can."

She nodded. "Thanks, Jack. It's a lot to think about. And I don't want dessert." They laughed, and after dinner, Jack shared a taxi with her to her apartment, watched as she got safely inside, and then went on to his own.


	4. Chapter 4

Heeelloo-oo. Is there anyone out there? Sorry for the loooooong absence, but my beta got sick, and I needed someone else to beta it. All my love for The Profane Angel. This one's for her, always. And I really need to thank Redwingx for being an amazing beta. Thank you honey!

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When Connie finally got home, Mike had eaten and was engrossed in a rerun of 24. She went in their bedroom, changed into her "comfy" clothes, and then joined him on the couch, her back against his chest.

"So how was dinner with Jack?" he asked, gently hugging her.

"Fine. He supports us."

"Really?" Mike's surprise was genuine. "I thought he'd be upset. We're going to need his support.

"He's been in our shoes, Mike, he understands." She turned to face him. "He...also asked me where are we...where this child is leading us." Connie blushed and averted her eyes, waiting for his response.

"He asked you if we're going to get married?" Mike didn't have a doubt on the matter, he wanted to marry Connie, but was waiting to see what she wanted to do.

"Yeah." She looked at him, and saw something in his eyes she'd never noticed before. Mike was hanging on her next words. She saw in his eyes what he wanted, but he was patient enough - or was struggling to figure out what she wanted - so it was now or never. Connie took a deep breath and said the next words very carefully, giving weight to every word.

"Yes. He asked me if our relationship was for real, if it was 'the real thing' and I read his question between the lines. He wants to know if we're going to get married."

"Do you... do you want to get married?" Connie shifted on the couch, and was now facing him. "No, no, don't answer it. I'm doing it wrong." He stood up and knelt in front of her. "Consuela Rubirosa, will you be my wife?"

Connie smiled, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Of course I will." He leaned close and kissed her, sealing their promise. "Great." He said, as he took his seat on the couch again with Connie leaning against his chest.

"You know," Connie said, trying to hide her smile. "You're still going to have to do it properly with my father. Especially after I tell him another grandkid is on the way."

"WHAT? You... you didn't tell your family yet?"

"Of course not. If I had, my dad would be here faster than you can say "'I'm sorry.' to Jack." This time she actually smiled.

"Oh God." he face-palmed. "I'm gonna have to meet your whole family before the wedding, right?"

Connie laughed. "Yes, you will. If you want to survive the wedding, it's better if you meet them before the ceremony. But look at this way, I'm giving the news about the pregnancy and the marriage to my mom. You'll have to inform Jack. And a few people from the office."

"Oh God. Can we switch positions?" He laid his head on her neck, taking in the faint smell of her perfume. "Somehow I think breaking the news to your family is less dangerous than to Jack."

"Mike, I told you, Jack is supporting us. There's nothing to be afraid of. And, you talk as if you never had to tell something horrible to Jack." She leaned her head back, giving him more access to her neck.

"Oh, please, we don't need to bring the Professor Ryan's episode back. You made your point."

"I think we should send her a Thank-you card."

"Why? For letting everyone know I didn't have a diploma?"

"Did you forget it was because of her, and that trip to the bar where you got drunk that this baby was conceived? When you thought you were going to be fired?" She kissed his cheek as he placed kisses on her shoulder.

"Ok, ok, you made your point, but no invitation for Professor Ryan. Can we go to bed now?"

"Sure. I just assumed you were watching your hero, Bauer," she said as she stood up, and Mike did the same.

"He might be a Jack, but he's not a McCoy."

They smiled, making their way to bed.


End file.
